[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 64 (Thursday, April 30, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2586-S2589]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RAFAEL RAMOS AND WENJIAN LIU NATIONAL BLUE ALERT ACT OF 2015
Mr. CASSIDY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 33, S. 665.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 665) to encourage, enhance, and integrate Blue
Alert plans throughout the United States in order to
disseminate information when a law enforcement officer is
seriously injured or killed in the line of duty, is missing
in connection with the officer's official duties, or an
imminent and credible threat that an individual intends to
cause the serious injury or death of a law enforcement
officer is received, and for other purposes.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
Mr. CASSIDY. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third
time and the Senate proceed to vote on passage.
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The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading and was read
the third time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The bill having been read the third time, the
question is, Shall the bill pass?
The bill (S. 665) was passed, as follows:
S. 665
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu
National Blue Alert Act of 2015''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Coordinator.--The term ``Coordinator'' means the Blue
Alert Coordinator of the Department of Justice designated
under section 4(a).
(2) Blue alert.--The term ``Blue Alert'' means information
sent through the network relating to--
(A) the serious injury or death of a law enforcement
officer in the line of duty;
(B) an officer who is missing in connection with the
officer's official duties; or
(C) an imminent and credible threat that an individual
intends to cause the serious injury or death of a law
enforcement officer.
(3) Blue alert plan.--The term ``Blue Alert plan'' means
the plan of a State, unit of local government, or Federal
agency participating in the network for the dissemination of
information received as a Blue Alert.
(4) Law enforcement officer.--The term ``law enforcement
officer'' shall have the same meaning as in section 1204 of
the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42
U.S.C. 3796b).
(5) Network.--The term ``network'' means the Blue Alert
communications network established by the Attorney General
under section 3.
(6) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the 50 States,
the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States
Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of
the Northern Mariana Islands.
SEC. 3. BLUE ALERT COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK.
The Attorney General shall establish a national Blue Alert
communications network within the Department of Justice to
issue Blue Alerts through the initiation, facilitation, and
promotion of Blue Alert plans, in coordination with States,
units of local government, law enforcement agencies, and
other appropriate entities.
SEC. 4. BLUE ALERT COORDINATOR; GUIDELINES.
(a) Coordination Within Department of Justice.--The
Attorney General shall assign an existing officer of the
Department of Justice to act as the national coordinator of
the Blue Alert communications network.
(b) Duties of the Coordinator.--The Coordinator shall--
(1) provide assistance to States and units of local
government that are using Blue Alert plans;
(2) establish voluntary guidelines for States and units of
local government to use in developing Blue Alert plans that
will promote compatible and integrated Blue Alert plans
throughout the United States, including--
(A) a list of the resources necessary to establish a Blue
Alert plan;
(B) criteria for evaluating whether a situation warrants
issuing a Blue Alert;
(C) guidelines to protect the privacy, dignity,
independence, and autonomy of any law enforcement officer who
may be the subject of a Blue Alert and the family of the law
enforcement officer;
(D) guidelines that a Blue Alert should only be issued with
respect to a law enforcement officer if--
(i) the law enforcement agency involved--
(I) confirms--
(aa) the death or serious injury of the law enforcement
officer; or
(bb) the attack on the law enforcement officer and that
there is an indication of the death or serious injury of the
officer; or
(II) concludes that the law enforcement officer is missing
in connection with the officer's official duties;
(ii) there is an indication of serious injury to or death
of the law enforcement officer;
(iii) the suspect involved has not been apprehended; and
(iv) there is sufficient descriptive information of the
suspect involved and any relevant vehicle and tag numbers;
(E) guidelines that a Blue Alert should only be issued with
respect to a threat to cause death or serious injury to a law
enforcement officer if--
(i) a law enforcement agency involved confirms that the
threat is imminent and credible;
(ii) at the time of receipt of the threat, the suspect is
wanted by a law enforcement agency;
(iii) the suspect involved has not been apprehended; and
(iv) there is sufficient descriptive information of the
suspect involved and any relevant vehicle and tag numbers;
(F) guidelines--
(i) that information should be provided to the National
Crime Information Center database operated by the Federal
Bureau of Investigation under section 534 of title 28, United
States Code, and any relevant crime information repository of
the State involved, relating to--
(I) a law enforcement officer who is seriously injured or
killed in the line of duty; or
(II) an imminent and credible threat to cause the serious
injury or death of a law enforcement officer;
(ii) that a Blue Alert should, to the maximum extent
practicable (as determined by the Coordinator in consultation
with law enforcement agencies of States and units of local
governments), be limited to the geographic areas most likely
to facilitate the apprehension of the suspect involved or
which the suspect could reasonably reach, which should not be
limited to State lines;
(iii) for law enforcement agencies of States or units of
local government to develop plans to communicate information
to neighboring States to provide for seamless communication
of a Blue Alert; and
(iv) providing that a Blue Alert should be suspended when
the suspect involved is apprehended or when the law
enforcement agency involved determines that the Blue Alert is
no longer effective; and
(G) guidelines for--
(i) the issuance of Blue Alerts through the network; and
(ii) the extent of the dissemination of alerts issued
through the network;
(3) develop protocols for efforts to apprehend suspects
that address activities during the period beginning at the
time of the initial notification of a law enforcement agency
that a suspect has not been apprehended and ending at the
time of apprehension of a suspect or when the law enforcement
agency involved determines that the Blue Alert is no longer
effective, including protocols regulating--
(A) the use of public safety communications;
(B) command center operations; and
(C) incident review, evaluation, debriefing, and public
information procedures;
(4) work with States to ensure appropriate regional
coordination of various elements of the network;
(5) establish an advisory group to assist States, units of
local government, law enforcement agencies, and other
entities involved in the network with initiating,
facilitating, and promoting Blue Alert plans, which shall
include--
(A) to the maximum extent practicable, representation from
the various geographic regions of the United States; and
(B) members who are--
(i) representatives of a law enforcement organization
representing rank-and-file officers;
(ii) representatives of other law enforcement agencies and
public safety communications;
(iii) broadcasters, first responders, dispatchers, and
radio station personnel; and
(iv) representatives of any other individuals or
organizations that the Coordinator determines are necessary
to the success of the network;
(6) act as the nationwide point of contact for--
(A) the development of the network; and
(B) regional coordination of Blue Alerts through the
network; and
(7) determine--
(A) what procedures and practices are in use for notifying
law enforcement and the public when--
(i) a law enforcement officer is killed or seriously
injured in the line of duty;
(ii) a law enforcement officer is missing in connection
with the officer's official duties; and
(iii) an imminent and credible threat to kill or seriously
injure a law enforcement officer is received; and
(B) which of the procedures and practices are effective and
that do not require the expenditure of additional resources
to implement.
(c) Limitations.--
(1) Voluntary participation.--The guidelines established
under subsection (b)(2), protocols developed under subsection
(b)(3), and other programs established under subsection (b),
shall not be mandatory.
(2) Dissemination of information.--The guidelines
established under subsection (b)(2) shall, to the maximum
extent practicable (as determined by the Coordinator in
consultation with law enforcement agencies of States and
units of local government), provide that appropriate
information relating to a Blue Alert is disseminated to the
appropriate officials of law enforcement agencies, public
health agencies, and other agencies.
(3) Privacy and civil liberties protections.--The
guidelines established under subsection (b) shall--
(A) provide mechanisms that ensure that Blue Alerts comply
with all applicable Federal, State, and local privacy laws
and regulations; and
(B) include standards that specifically provide for the
protection of the civil liberties, including the privacy, of
law enforcement officers who are seriously injured or killed
in the line of duty, is missing in connection with the
officer's official duties, or who are threatened with death
or serious injury, and the families of the officers.
(d) Cooperation With Other Agencies.--The Coordinator shall
cooperate with the Secretary of Homeland Security, the
Secretary of Transportation, the Chairman of the Federal
Communications Commission, and appropriate offices of the
Department of
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Justice in carrying out activities under this Act.
(e) Restrictions on Coordinator.--The Coordinator may not--
(1) perform any official travel for the sole purpose of
carrying out the duties of the Coordinator;
(2) lobby any officer of a State regarding the funding or
implementation of a Blue Alert plan; or
(3) host a conference focused solely on the Blue Alert
program that requires the expenditure of Federal funds.
(f) Reports.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the
Coordinator shall submit to Congress a report on the
activities of the Coordinator and the effectiveness and
status of the Blue Alert plans that are in effect or being
developed.
Mr. CASSIDY. I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be
considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or
debate.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
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